Bernard Picart, “Hercules Fights the Lernaean Hydra”, 1731

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“Hercules Fights the Lernaean Hydra” (aka “Hercules’s Combat with the Hydra”; “Hercules doodt de hydra van Lerna”), 1731, Plate 24 (XXV) in the series of sixty plates, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel) after Abraham van Diepenbeeck (1596–1675), first published in Amsterdam in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50), facing page 55 (see https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012263162/page/n115/mode/2up). 

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 44.3 x 27cm; (outer plate) 36.1 x 25.7cm; (outer image borderline) 34.8 x 25.1cm.

Lettered in plate: (at left below the outer image borderline) “B. Picart del,1731”; (at centre below the inner image borderline with title in four languages [French, English, German and Dutch]) “COMBAT D’HERCULE CONTRE L’HYDRE DE LERNE./ Hercules’s Combat with the Hydra.// …./ …”.

LeBlanc 85–146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85–146).

See also the description of this print offered by the Rijksmuseum https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200370066.

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond a significant closed tear in the lower margin (approx. 3cms away from the outer image borderline), the sheet is in a very good condition with no holes, folds, abrasions or stains.

I am selling this graphically strong representation of Hercules fighting the mythological Hydra— a serpentine monster with poisonous breath, deadly scented blood, and many heads that regenerate with two extra heads if one were to be lopped off—for the total price of AU$326 (approximately US$211.26, EUR 181.58, or GBP 157.01). This price includes worldwide express postage and handling. Please note that any applicable import duties or taxes imposed by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this large museum quality etching with engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and an inner “image” plate—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Bernard Picart, “The House of Sleep”, 1733

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“The House of Sleep” (aka “Le Palais du Sommeil”), 1733, Plate 60 (LX)—the final plate in the series of sixty plates—from the series, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), first published in Amsterdam in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50), facing page 151.

Archive.org offers an online view of this print in its context in the publication, “Le Temple des Muses”: https://archive.org/details/gri_33125012263162/page/n281/mode/2up

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 45.4 x 28.8 cm; (outer plate) 36 x 25.7 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.9 x 25 cm

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) “B. Picart sculp. dir..”; (centre with title in four languages [French, English, German and Dutch]) “LE PALAIS DU SOMMEIL./ The House of Sleep.// …./ …”.

LeBlanc 85–146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85–146).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (Transl.) “The House of Sleep. On top of the building Diana and Night, in her arms her children Sleep (Hypnos) and Death (Thanatos). In the middle in the niche Sleep, with his attribute poppy in his hand. The house is teeming with Oneiroi (beings responsible for human dreams). In the margin the title in French, English, German and Dutch. The representation is decorated with an ornamental border.” (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200370068).

Condition: a strong and well-printed (faultless) impression in a near pristine condition for its size and considerable age.

I am selling this curiously wonderful symbolic representation of sleep as a house separating true from false dreams at the entrance to the Underworld—"a deep Cavern, where the Sun’s rays never penetrate”—for AU$336 (equivalent to approximately US$208.78, EUR 200.91, or GBP 165.94 at the time of listing) and includes Express Mail Service (EMS) postage and handling to any worldwide destination. Please note that any import duties or taxes levied by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the purchase price. Payment is requested in Australian dollars (AU$336).

If you are interested in purchasing this museum quality engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Bernard Picart, “The Fall of Icarus”, 1730/1

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“The Fall of Icarus”, 1730/1, Plate 36 (XXXVI) from the series of sixty plates, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), first published in Amsterdam in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50), between pages 100 and 101 (see https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/picart1754/0152/image). This impression is from the first edition.

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 46.1 x 17.6 cm; (outer plate) 35.8 x 25.3 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.6 x 24.8 cm.

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) “B. Picart invenit 1731.”; (centre with title in four languages [French, English, German and Dutch]) “LA CHUTE D’ICARE./ The fall of Icarus.// …./ …”.

Lettered in plate below the outer image borderline: (left) “B. Picart del. 1730.”

LeBlanc 85–146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85–146).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (Transl.) “Icarus and his father Daedalus escape from Crete. However, Icarus flies too close to the sun, causing the wax on his wings to melt, his wings to fall off, and him to crash into the sea. [...] The scene is decorated with an ornamental border” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.303441).

See also the description of this print offered by the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1914-0214-218.

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression in a near pristine condition for its considerable age.

I am selling this stunningly beautiful engraving showing Icarus falling from the sky when his imitation wings glued together with wax melted after Icarus flew too close to the sun following his escape from Crete with his father, Daedalus, shown flying in the distance, for AU$336 in total (currently/approximately US$223.64/ EUR206.09/ GBP176.78 at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries. Note that payment is in Australian dollars (AU$336) as this is my currency.

If you are interested in purchasing this museum quality engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Bernard Picart, “Atlas Supports the Heavens on His Shoulders”, 1731

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“Atlas Supports the Heavens on His Shoulders”, 1731, Plate 43 (XLIII) from the series of sixty plates, “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), pages 119–120, published in 1733 by Zacharie Chatelain (fl.1700–50) and later in 1754 in Amsterdam and Leipzig.

Etching and engraving printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 46 x 29.1 cm; (outer plate) 35.5 x 25.5 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.6 x 25 cm.

Inscribed on plate below the (inner) image borderline in four languages (French, English, German and Dutch): (left) “ATLAS PORTE LE CIEL SUR SES ÉPAULES./ Atlas supports the Heavens on his shoulders.// …./ …”.

LeBlanc 85-146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85-146).

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print: (Transl.) “Titan Atlas carries heaven on his back, as punishment for his part in the revolt against Jupiter. Through Perseus he is turned into a mountain range. In the margin the title in French, English, German and Dutch. The image is decorated with an ornamental border” (http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.302958).

All the plates (including this plate) illustrating “Le Temple des Muses” may be viewed at “Heidelberg historic literature – digitized”; see details about this plate: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/picart1754/0177/image .

Art of the Print offers marvellous insights and technical details about this print and its publication: http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/picart_bernard_atlasheavens.htm.

Condition: a strong and well-printed (near faultless) impression in a near pristine condition.

I am selling this stunningly beautiful engraving showing Atlas—a Titan from mythology—holding up the sky with the mountain range, The Atlas Mountains, of northwest Africa behind him, for AU$336 in total (currently US $218.81/EUR 204.26/GBP 175.47 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this museum quality engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Note that this is the second impression of this print that I have listed. The previous copy has been sold.

This print has been sold

Bernard Picart's engraving with etching, “The Chaos”, 1731, after Cornelis Bloemaert and Abraham van Diepenbeeck

Bernard Picart (1673–1733)

“The Chaos” (aka “Le Chaos, ou l'Origine du Monde”; “Das Chaos, woraus die Welt erschaffen worden”; “De Chaos, of d’Oorspronk de Wereldt”), 1731 (as dated in plate; pub. 1733), after Cornelis Bloemaert’s (1603–1692) engraving (with etching) in reverse (see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1973-0616-22), after Abraham van Diepenbeeck’s (1596–1675) design, plate I to “Le Temple des Muses” (Neu-Eröfneter Musen-Tempel), first published in 1733 by Zacharias Chatelain (aka Zacharie Chatelain) (fl.1705–1733) in Amsterdam and later in 1754 in Amsterdam and Leipzig.

Engraving and etching printed from two plates on laid paper with full margins as published.

Size: (sheet) 45.8 x 29.8 cm; (outer plate) 35.6 x 25.5 cm; (outer image borderline) 34.7 x 24.4 cm; (inner plate) 25.1 x 17.6 cm; (inner image borderline) 22.8 x 17.5 cm.

Lettered in plate within the inner image borderline: (lower centre) “Diepenbeek fig.”

Lettered in plate below the inner image borderline: (left) “B. Picart dir.”; (centre in French, English, German and Dutch) “Le Chaos, Ou L'Origine Du Monde/ The Chaos.// Das Chaos, woraus die Welt erschaffen worden./ De Chaos, of d’Oorspronk de Wereldt.”

Lettered in plate below the outer image borderline: (left) “B. Picart del. 1731.”

Lifetime impression with full margins.

LeBlanc 85-146 (J.Ch. Brunet & Ch. Leblanc 1854[–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations: ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire”, vol. 3, Paris, p. 192, cat. nos. 85-146).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “Chaos: massive form, ablaze, with rocks, clouds, and animals symbolizing the constellations; in ornate frame, with female head in the upper part, printed from a separate plate” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1914-0214-220).

All the plates (including this plate) illustrating “Le Temple des Muses” are available online at “Heidelberg historic literature – digitized”: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/picart1754/0017/image.

Art of the Print offers marvellous insights and technical details about this print and its publication: https://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/picart_bernard_chaos.htm.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression. There are minor surface marks in the margins; otherwise, the sheet is in a good condition with no tears, holes or folds, foxing or significant stains.

I am selling this stunningly beautiful engraving (with etching) showing an ornamental strapwork framed vision of the beginning of the world, for AU$263 in total (currently US$175.79/EUR159.05/GBP140.01 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb engraving printed from two plates—an outer “frame” plate and the inner “image” plate—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold